


An ATM-Tale

by ccshbh



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, meet cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-09-01 11:24:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16764190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ccshbh/pseuds/ccshbh
Summary: You wouldn't believe the things that can happen while you are carrying out such a mudane task as withdrawing cash from an ATM.





	An ATM-Tale

**Author's Note:**

  * For [oryoucouldstay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/oryoucouldstay/gifts).



> This partly happend to me today and my lovely @oryoucouldstay had the idea to turn it into a meet cute. So go send her some love.

Jughead should have known better. He should have known that going outside without a jacket in November in New York City was a bad idea. Especially when there was a fresh layer of snow coating all the surroundings. But it had been just across the street to withdraw some cash from the ATM. It should have been quick. Cross the street, get the money and return to the coffee shop he worked at.

But now this fucking ATM was being stubborn, because of course the machine didn’t take the cold well either and the touch pad was not at all doing what he wanted it to do. He knew that he looked like an idiot, cursing under his breath and hopping from one foot to another but as far as he’d seen no one had been around. Which was unusual for New York City, but he'd gladly take it.

It took him a solid 10 minutes until he got the machine to work and when he finally retrieved the notes he shoved them into his wallet and let out a breath. Okay, back to work now, surviving the last two hours and then his laptop, a warm cup of (actually good) coffee and a few hours of late-night writing were waiting for him.

It wasn’t that Jughead hated his job per se. It was a nice little place, not the kind of huge corporate shithole that would have been the alternative. But business was slow and there was barley any opportunity to people watch. So most of his shifts alternated between boring and very boring. Nonetheless it helped pay the bills his Columbia scholarship didn't cover.

Jughead turned around on the spot, ready to head across the street again, when he noticed a blond girl, that seemed to be waiting right behind him, bundled up in a large pale beige coat, and a matching scarf pulled up over half her face. She was hopping from one foot to another, just like he had been a few minutes earlier, rubbing her hands to conjure up some warmth. He caught her eyes, which were – as he noticed to his own surprise – a startling shade of green, and for some reason he couldn’t help but start laughing. The situation was absurd.

Here they were, two complete strangers, standing in the middle of a cold New York street, in front of an ATM and laughing at how ridiculous they looked while trying to keep themselves warm.

Wait… she was laughing too? It stratled him that apparently she found the situation as ridiculous as he did.

And for some reason her laugh was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.

“Sorry for uhm…” he was stammering. WHY was he stammering? “Sorry to keep you waiting in this weather, but this machine is incredibly stubborn.”

She shook her head at him and pulled her scarf down, now revealing her full face. If he had been stammering before, he probably should just shut up now, because he was sure all that would come out of his mouth would be a babbled mess.

She was breathtaking. The kind of classic and natural beauty one didn’t get to see very often these days. The kind of beauty that just got more stunning the longer you looked at her.

“Oh, don’t worry.” her voice snapped him out of his haze and he felt himself blushing because he realized that he must have been staring. And she must have realized it too. “Actually you must be the one freezing, being out here without a jacket.”

“Huh yeah… I was actually just going to get the money and then return back to work. And uhm… well I better get going. My boss is probably already mad. It was nice to meet you…” he trailed off.

“Betty.” she responded, now blushing a little bit herself.

“Betty.” he repeated, letting her name melt on his tongue. It felt oddly familiar to say it. “I’m Jughead.”

He could see confusion flicker over her face for a moment, but then she caught herself, obviously to polite to enquire any further about his strange name and took his outstretched hand.

“Nice to meet you Jughead. I work around here too, maybe we’ll run into each other again some day”

Jughead grinned: “Yeah, that would be nice. I'm so sorry but I really have to get going”

He had barley taken three steps away from her, when his inner voice started yelling at him.

_“Are you stupid Jones? She is gorgeous, she is nice enough to not ask about your weird ass name and she is obviously freezing. What does the universe have to do to make it more obvious, you idiot? For once in your life, be a little bold.”_

He took a deep breath and stilled in his movements. Oh fuck it, why not?

“Hey Betty” he said as he turned around again.

She looked up from the ATM’s key pad, a little surprised to still see him there.

“Yes?”

“Would you like to grab a coffee to warm up?”

She looked at him and her eyes narrowed for a second. Oh god. This had been a stupid idea. He should have known better. Jesus, he was such an idiot, offering a random girl a coffee and…

But then her face lit up and that incredible smile appeared again.

“Well, I’m not much of a coffee drinker. But a hot chocolate will do.”


End file.
